The contamination of U.S. long grain rice with an unapproved variety of herbicide-resistant rice is causing more trade problems. Dow Jones reports European Union officials have blocked a shipment of U.S. rice to the EU until it can be tested for the unapproved biotech rice, LLRICE601.

An EU spokesman told Dow Jones the U.S. shipment involves thousands of metric tons originating from the Port of New Orleans, and had been destined for rice importers in the U.K. and Germany. He said the entire shipment will be held until laboratory tests can confirm or rule out the presence of the LLRICE601 genetic event.

Aventis CropScience, now owned by Bayer, field tested the biotech rice between 1998 and 2001. Bayer CropScience notified USDA on July 31st that it had discovered the biotech rice had cross-pollinated with conventional rice - and that traces of the biotech rice had been found in rice stored in five states.